


If You Have Ghosts...

by Vizkopa



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, I Don't Even Know, it was supposed to be spooky but I can't do that shit, this was a contest entry for Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 10:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8398588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vizkopa/pseuds/Vizkopa
Summary: “I was woken in the middle of the night last night by these horrible noises. Moaning, chains rattling and the like. I think the castle might be haunted. Xander thinks otherwise.”

  “Moaning and chains, huh? Sounds more like a fun night, if you ask me,” Camilla chuckled.





	

“Xander!” you hissed into the darkness.

You loathed to wake your husband during one of his rare respites from his duties. After the demise of the man you had both once called ‘Father’, the newly crowned king of Nohr had been working night and day making reparations, mending alliances and consoling those who had suffered most in the war. Rebuilding a kingdom from the tatters of a long, corrupt reign weighed heavily on his shoulders and sleep was often hard-earned. 

But this was an urgent matter.

“Xander!”

You felt the bed shift as he stirred. His form was little more than a silhouette against the window where a sliver of pale moonlight had found its way between the heavy curtains.

“Hm, what is it?” His voice was thick with sleep.

“I think we have a ghost in the castle.”

He was silent for a long time and for a moment you thought he had fallen asleep again, but then he spoke, his words punctuated with a yawn. “It sounds like you had a nightmare. Go back to sleep, Little Princess.”

“No, you don’t understand. I heard a voice. And chains rattling. Does that not scream ‘ghost’ to you?”

Another long silence. Then: “I don’t hear anything.”

“Well it’s not making noise _now_ ,” you hissed. “I wasn’t dreaming, I swear.”

He sighed and gathered you up in his arms. “No one would blame you for having nightmares after what you’ve been through, [Name],” he muttered into your hair. “As long as I’m by your side, I won’t let you suffer ever again. Now go back to sleep.”

“But—”

Your protests fell on deaf ears. Xander was already fast asleep and, wrapped up as you were in his iron embrace, you had no choice but to try and follow. But from that moment on, every creaking door, every breath of wind that echoed through the stone hallways had you on high alert, heart hammering almost painfully in your ears. 

Sleep would not come easily for you that night.

“Oh, my poor, sweet sister, what’s wrong with your face?!” Camilla exclaimed as you stumbled, puffy-eyed and yawning, into the dining hall around noon the next day.

You offered her your best glare, but you couldn’t help but think the effect was somewhat diminished by the ridiculous bed-head you were sporting. “I was woken in the middle of the night last night by these horrible noises. Moaning, chains rattling and the like. I think the castle might be haunted. Xander thinks otherwise.”

“Moaning and chains, huh? Sounds more like a fun night, if you ask me,” she chuckled.

“Nobody asked you,” you snapped, then immediately felt guilty. Sleep deprivation made you irritable and your Nohrian siblings had often borne the brunt of your prickly attitude. You offered her a weak apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I’m just so tired.” You rubbed your eyes and sighed. “There’s something in this castle, I know it. And I’m going to find out what it is.”

Camilla patted you on the back gingerly. “You do that, dear. But first, perhaps a nap? I could sing you a lullaby if you would like?”

You shrugged her hand away and made a face. “I’m not a child,” you mumbled, though you had to admit, a nap sounded positively heavenly. “But maybe I should get some sleep. Especially if I’m going to bust this ghost tonight.”

Later that evening, long after the castle had settled down to sleep, you slid from your bed and stole across your chamber in darkness. The strange noises had started up again and it had taken you a few long, paralysed moments to gather enough courage to investigate. Even now, your body screamed at you to run back to your bed, cuddle up to Xander and hide beneath the covers until the dawn’s light chased away the uncertainty of the darkness. But your curiosity simply wouldn’t allow it so instead, you strapped Yato around your waist and ignored the primal instinct that told you to turn back while you still could.

_Come on, [Name]! You’ve faced monsters and phantoms and a god-damned DRAGON. You can deal with one measly ghost._

You eased the door open, careful not to let it creak, and slipped out into the hall. You let it fall closed soundlessly behind you, but not before casting a glance back into the room to ensure Xander was still asleep. Satisfied, you left him to his dreams and started out down the hall, but you had barely taken more than a step when you bumped into someone heading in the opposite direction. 

You let out a yelp but checked yourself just in time to slap a hand over Elise’s mouth before she woke the whole castle.

“What are you doing out here at this time of night?” you hissed at your little sister, removing your hand from her mouth once you were sure she wouldn’t scream.

“I could say the same to you. Something woke me up,” she hissed back.

“You heard it too?”

She nodded, her eyes wide with fear. “Could it really be a g-ghost?” Then her fright turned to downright horror as a thought struck her. “You don’t think Father is haunting us, do you?” she squeaked.

“I sure hope not.” You hadn’t thought of that possibility. “Whatever it is— _who_ ever it is—we have to get to the bottom of this.”

Together, the two of you made your way down the corridor, ears strained for the slightest sound. Elise clung tightly by your side, fingers gripping at your nightclothes. She twisted the fabric worryingly between her fingers as her eyes darted from left to right. The corridor was well lit, as it always was, with torches hung high on the walls, but the dancing flames only made the shadows seem more sinister. 

You both almost jumped out of your skins when a particularly loud moan echoed through the hall. Elise gave a small wail and buried her face in your gown. The stone made it difficult to pinpoint which direction it had originated from, the sound bouncing from one wall to the other. You frowned, head cocked as the last of the echoes faded away. 

What followed was nothing but silence. You stood still for a long time, one arm curled protectively around Elise’s shoulders, the other hand resting lightly on Yato’s pommel. After a while, Elise lifted her head cautiously. You could feel her pounding heart begin to slow as the silence stretched on.

“Well,” you said finally. “It seems our ghost has had its fun for tonight.”

Elise breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you think it’ll be back?”

“Tonight? I doubt it. I didn’t hear a peep from it after it was done wailing the night before. You can go back to bed, Elise. Get some sleep.”

She nodded gratefully. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to get some sleep too. Because tomorrow night, I’m ending this. Once and for all.”

The following night, you were on high alert, ears trained for the moment the strange noises started again. You waited in your chambers, clad head to toe in your plate armour. Not that it would be much help against a ghost, but the weight of it was comforting at the very least. In hindsight, maybe you should have called a priest.

Xander had said as much when he retired only to find you prepped for war rather than bedtime. 

“It’s probably nothing, [Name]. Come to bed,” he urged.

“I wasn’t dreaming, Xander. Elise heard it too,” you said, perching yourself on the edge of the bed beside him. “I have to do this. For my own peace of mind.”

Xander frowned. The lines on his brow looked so natural at this point. It had been a difficult war and the aftermath hadn’t been any easier for him.

“I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but I can’t sleep until I know for sure.”

“Know what?”

“Whether or not Father is back to haunt us.”

His face softened and he pulled you into his arms. “Oh, Little Princess, I should have known how much the guilt would weigh on you. I’m sorry.” He took your face in his hands. “It’s not your fault. You made the right choice.”

“I know.”

You also knew the noises were not just a product of your guilt-ridden imagination. As if on cue, a long, low moan echoed from far off, punctuated by the clank of iron chains.

Xander froze, pulling away to listen with a frown.

“I told you I wasn’t dreaming.”

“I believe you,” he said. 

The two of you stared at each other for a moment then, in unison, scrambled from the bed. Xander took up his sword, Siegfried, from its place on the wall and you eased the door open just a crack to peer out into the hall. It was empty, as usual for this time of night.

“I think it’s coming from downstairs,” you whispered over your shoulder and jumped when you found Xander already there.

“Lead the way.”

One floor down, the noises were noticeably louder and easier to follow. They led you down, down through the heart of the castle until you found yourselves in the entrance hall. The high ceiling and far-reaching walls amplified the sound so that it reverberated within the stones themselves. It was as if the very walls themselves were possessed. Xander nudged you, and gestured to the side of the main stairwell where an open passageway led down into the bowels of the castle.

“What’s down there?” you asked, suddenly unsure about your ghost hunt.

“The dungeons,” Xander replied grimly.

“They should be empty, right?”

He nodded. “All prisoners that weren’t executed by Father were pardoned weeks ago.”

Your blood chilled. “Then what are we hearing right now?” you said around the lump in your throat.

“Only one way to find out.”

This time, Xander let the way, down the spiralling staircase and into the cold depths where, in all your time living here, you had never dared to go. The passage was significantly less well-lit than the rest of the castle, and you had to squint to see through the gloom, but far ahead you could see a square of light, the only illumination amongst the otherwise dark cells.

And it just so happened to be where the strange sounds were hailing from.

The two of you approached silently, fingers caressing the hilts of your swords. Your heart was hammering loudly against your ribcage, so loud you were afraid it too would echo off the stone walls and up through the castle, revealing to everyone the coward you were. In this moment, no one could blame you.

Standing before the door, the noises were louder than ever. Just above your eye level, a barred window was set into the door. You nudged Xander and nodded your head in the direction on the window. You were just too short to see through it without standing on your toes, but Xander had the advantage of height.

He nodded and pressed himself against the wall beside the door. Gesturing for you to be quiet, he peered through the bars…

His face suddenly paled, his mouth pressed into one thin line. He turned away, as if the horror was just too much to look upon.

“What did you see?” you urged him.

“Well… it’s not a ghost.”

“Then what is it? Faceless? Phantoms? Don’t tell me Keaton’s turned it into another one of his grisly memento mori exhibits...”

“Not exactly…”

“Let me see.”

He gripped your arm hard. “You don’t want to do that.”

You shrugged him off. “What could possibly be worse than ghosts?”

Standing on your toes, you just managed to peer over the window ledge and…

“Oh,” you said. “Oh no.”

“I told you not to look.”

You turned away, cheeks aflame. “I think,” you said as calmly as possible, “that we need to have a talk with Leo about his retainer using the dungeons for his… _extracurricular_ activities.”

“Agreed.”


End file.
